Kentucky Car Art Weekend

by Jamie Rhein on

A friend of mine Greg Phelps, whose art car “That Car” has made it in previous years to Baltimore for the Annual Car Art Show, told me about the Kentucky Car Art Weekend, August 3-4. Held at various venues in Louisville, this is a Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft sponsored event that is considered, according to Greg, the Midwest’s most fabulous of art car shows. From the looks of the various happenings about town, he knows what he’s talking about.

There’s a Drive-in movie complete with concession stand, a parade, a gallery hop, an art car lecture, and the KY Art Car Hoedown for starters. If you want to create an art car yourself, there’s a miniature car art workshop. [See event schedule.]

If you go, look for Greg. He loves Louisville and can clue you into the hotspots. Also look for my Greg Phelps’s Louisville recommendations in the future. He sent me some great info.

Tidepooling: Another Simple Pleasure

by Jamie Rhein on

As gadling reader Caz noted in a comment on one of my creek wading posts, folks in California and parts of the Southwest are hard pressed to find a creek to wade in this time of year. Tidepooling was suggested as an option. After looking for tidepooling possibilities, I’ve discovered that tidepooling is for people who live on a coast–any coast, as wading is for people who live near creeks.

I’ve been tidepooling before, but not often since I’ve never lived on a coast. I was happy to be reminded of those times. The most memorable was near York, Maine. When my daughter was small we wandered along the places where the ocean had left pools of water when the tide went out. We wandered along the craggy edges of barnacle covered rocks looking for treasures in the seawater left behind. Maine is a terrific place for tidepooling. Here’s a link to tidepooling at Acadia National Park. There is useful how tos and what to look for information. The tidepool in the photo posted by choirbell on Flickr is off the coast of Monterey, California along 17 Mile Drive.

Another place I found with tidepooling options is the Rouge River area of Oregon. According to the Web site, there are tidepooling activities for kids at Sunset Beach State Recreation site. There are also detailed descriptions of what you can find if you tidepool here.

If you’re in Southern California, check out north of Torrey Pines State Reserve. This is one suggestion from the San Diego Natural History Museum. The museum lists several others.

If you do go tidepooling there are guidelines to follow. Here are the major ones.

  1. Like with wading, wear closed-toed shoes.
  2. Like with wading, watch your step and avoid slick rocks.
  3. Don’t turn your back on the ocean–big waves come when you least expect them.
  4. Don’t wade in the tidepools since you can do damage to the sea creatures there. Walk around the edges to do your observing.
  5. If you find sea creatures under rocks and moss, make sure you recover them.
  6. If you move anything living, put it back where you found it.
  7. If you have a compulsion to pick up a live creature, don’t pry it loose. You might do it harm.

Harry Potter Mania Peaks Tonight

by Jamie Rhein on

Back in May Justin posted information about the Harry-est Town in America, meaning which city pre-ordered the most copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (Falls Church, Virginia won.)

Today is the big day, (sort of since it happens at midnight in the U.S.) when the book goes on sale and people can find out exactly what happens to Harry at the end of the series. Around the world Harry Potter mania has already heated up. This article in the International Herald Tribune explains how the coordination among bookstores is supposed to happen–or is happening–or has happened. Frankly, this article confused me. It’s a time zone thing. If you haven’t noticed lately, there are events in the U.S. you can still go to.

If you’re looking for a Harry Potter party tonight in the U.S., the Scholastic Book Web site has a party finder drop down menu. You can also watch J.K. Rowlings moonlight reading starting at 6:50 pm. I’m not sure what she’s going to be reading–I guess the book.

Since my daughter is on a backpacking trip (see post), she’s not going to a party or watching the moonlight reading even though my husband read her the first three books when we lived in Taiwan and she was in the first and second grade. Perhaps I’ll take my son to my favorite Columbus movie theater Studio 35 for their event even though my son is more hooked into Sponge Bob than he is to Harry. He might get a kick of going out late at night, and since I’ve yet to make it to a midnight Harry Potter party, and this is the last book that will come out, why miss a chance?

Friends of mine are taking their kids to the Harry Potter Fest in Penninsula, Ohio. This will include a ride on the Wizard Express, an appropriately decorated Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad train and a trip to the Blue Heron Bookstore where the party will happen. I’d take my daughter, but she’s in the woods.

A Dude Ranch in Ohio

by Jamie Rhein on

Although the old west conjures up cowboy images like Martha mentioned in her post on where to find cowboys in Canada, Ohio has a ranch that looks like it could be where cowboys and buffalo roam. Although Smoke Rise Ranch is in the Hocking Hills, one of my favorite areas in the state, there are cowboys who sport chaps and rope cattle, bonafied rodeos on certain weekends, and various activities that generally happen west of the Mississippi River.

I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon at Smoke Rise Ranch Resort with Mark Semingson and his father Walt, the Semingson patriarch. In his 80s, Walt will still climb up on a horse to show off his horsemanship and afterwards talk about the path that brought him to Ohio from North Dakota where he was born. He grew up on a ranch there and eventually transplanted his ranching know how and his family to Ohio. Part of the story has to do with a land deal in Arizona not working out as expected. Knowing horses saved the Semingson’s from losing their shirts and this pristine spot in Ohio held possibilities for a ranching hotspot. This wonderful photo of Walt was taken by Fojo1 and posted on Flickr.

Today Walt’s sons mostly run Smoke Rise. The business is a mix of a working cattle ranch, a place to horseback ride and a vacation destination. Lodging ranges from campsites to cabins. You can come for just a couple hours or several days.

Although, Justin mentioned in one of his posts the cities best for singles, you might want to head to Smoke Rise from July 20 to 22 for the Singles Weekend. There are other events throughout the year. One, “Six Days in the Saddle” would be great for families. It’s a chance to experience cowboy life first hand.

For my own version of cowboy life, Mark took my daughter and me for a horseback ride and pointed out the ranch’s details along the way. His version of a horseback ride is much better than the “nose to butt” rides common with other horseback riding establishments that I’ve been to. We wandered along trails and took in parts of Ohio, even though I felt like I had been transported to some point out West.

A Ranch in Texas that Welcomes Visitors – Part One

by Jamie Rhein on

One of the subjects I write about for magazines is where to go to enjoy nature. One of the places I included in an article about native plants in Ohio was the Highlands Sanctuary. This is a privately owned preserve in the southern part of the state that welcomes visitors.Here’s a post from my Blogging Ohio days that highlights it’s charms.

I recently found out about another privately owned preserve. This gem is in Texas. Visitors who make advance arrangements are welcome. Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve is a working ranch, but the aim here is also to nurture the land and foster an appreciation for it in others. Due to the efforts of David Bamberger, the owner, the 5,500 acres (this is the largest private restoration project in Texas) visitors can take in fishing, bat viewing, dinosaur track fossils and a herd of Scimitar-horned Oryx . These animals aren’t from Texas, but from Niger and Chad, Africa. The reason they’re here is because Bamburger offered to operate a captive breeding program to reestablish endangered species.

Along with making arrangements to visit the ranch, there are special events and public tours. One workshop this coming September is a land stewardship workshop in case you want to buy your own plot of heaven to nurture and protect the environment. For people who want a longer stay there are two cabins to rent. One is made of recycled materials from other buildings and the other is a replica of a general store. The more I read about this place, the more I want to head here.

There are two other ranches in Texas where individuals have used their passions to offer visitors an unusual get-a-way. One is the Benini Sculpture Ranch. The other is Reimer’s Ranch Park. You can go to all three ranches in a day. I’ve been to this part of Texas. For a city fix, head to Austin; it’s close-by.